Before, during, and hopefully after account of a Great Divide Route journey in the summer of 2010.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Day 1: Canmore to Spray Lake Reservoir Campground

Ride time: 2:05
Average: 6.6 mph
Distance: 13.86 mi
RAIN, RAIN, and more RAIN. Oh my God. After stopping at Rebound Cycle in Canmore to get Nate some gloves that would bode well in the rain, the guy who worked there was geeked at the fact that we were sporting Gore Bike Wear and took a picture of us as we headed out. It's posted on their website. We then left Canmore with butterflies in my stomach, and headed up White Man's Pass. It was an immediate and brutal climb in buckets of rain. And, the temperature was hovering just above 0 degrees Celsius (we're in Canada, eh?). To make a long ride story short, this day sucked. It sucked worse than the entire last school year... okay, I'm kidding about that, but this was horrible.

This is how crappy it was:

Spray Lake Reservoir

We got to Spray Lakes and set up camp with numb fingers. It was really difficult to get warm and there was no shelter other than the surprisingly decent outhouses. So, we cooked and ate in there.

The multi-purpose room

Nate made cheesy mashed potatoes, tuna (in the pouch), and red peppers with the alcohol stove. We ate well--just not in the greatest location.